Just Can't Get Enough
by IvanCurios
Summary: A series of T-rated ficlets surrounding Kotetsu and Barnaby's relationship as Heroes, fathers, and partners. Spoilers.
1. Fight

"And furthermore, my name is not _Bunny!_" Barnaby yelled, finishing his verbal assault and flying at Kotetsu with clenched fists. "It's _Barnaby!_" He landed a punch on the man's jaw without enough force to dislocate it. "Fucking fight me, you bastard!"

Kotetsu stepped back and brought a hand to his face to feel for damage. "That hurt. I'm going to have a bruise. I'm going to have to tell all my friends that I got_scratched by a rabbit_, how embarrassing." He caught Barnaby's fist in one hand only centimetres away from hitting his nose, then caught the other fist aimed for his stomach with ease.

"Looks like I've caught dinner," he grinned, pushing Barnaby back until he hit the wall.

"Let go of me, old man!" he growled, wresting an arm away but smashing his elbow into the wall as a consequence. "FUCK!" Before he knew what was happening, his body was pinned down by Kotetsu's and he could hear the predatory snapping of teeth in his ear.

Kotetsu brought up both of Barnaby's hands and held his slender wrists above his head with one steely hand. His other hand wrapped around the small of his partner's back, pulling their bodies together as he buried his face in golden hair. "You asked for a fight, you got one." His words ghosted down Barnaby's neck, sending a great chill up his spine as he struggled pathetically to break free.

Barnaby felt teeth sink into his flesh and knew he would never win. A sigh escaped from his mouth, and Kotetsu took this as a signal to release his grip on Barnaby's hands, which immediately and without prompting rushed to Kotetsu's shoulders and flooded down his chest like newly undammed rivers, filling and feeling every crevice as though it were the first time.

"I was right," he gasped. "We should fight more often." He was rewarded with a chuckle and a heady, needy kiss. He almost wondered if Kotetsu knew all along, but it was obvious. Of course Kotetsu had figured out what he had been up to, creating conflict over things of little to no import over the past few days, refusing even to smile in his direction.

"You were playing along, weren't you?" Barnaby accused with the last shred of coherence he could muster.

"I got tired of playing fair," he affirmed, setting to work on removing Barnaby's belt. He murmured into his lips, "An old man like me can't wait forever."


	2. Surprise

"I won't tell her. You do it."

"She's your daughter!"

"But you're her favourite Hero. She'll take the news much better from you."

The two men hissed at each other for a few seconds as they heard Kaede's footsteps approach the bedroom.

"I don't think she will take 'I'm fucking your father every chance I get, and whenever I'm out of town he steals the life-sized cutout of me from your room and brings it into his to do God-knows-what—'"

"_I don't do anything, I'm not a pervert!_"

"Then why—"

"Because_ I miss you, _you bastard! I like to pretend you're here with me!"

"Well, good luck telling that to your daughter, I'm sure she'll believe you when she sees the state it's in."

"You tore it!"

"_When you pushed me up against it and made me—_"

They both froze as the door to Kaede's room opened and she walked in, tossing her backpack on the floor. "Dad, I'm home!" she called. "Dad?"

Barnaby peeked through the slats of the closet door and saw her walk out of her room to look for her father. "Go, go, go!" he whispered urgently to Kotetsu, who opened the door and they both tumbled out, as did the torn cutout of Barnaby, which landed on top of them. Kotetsu scrambled to his feet and shoved Barnaby and cutout Barnaby back into the closet, slamming it closed and leaning against it. Barnaby let out a muffled shout, only to be shushed.

"Oh! Dad. There you are." Kaede said, narrowing her eyes. "What are you doing in my room? You weren't in here a minute ago."

"Kaede, hello! I promise I wasn't going through your things! I just… Daddy has a surprise for you!" he sputtered. He took a step away from the closet and Barnaby burst out, holding out his arms.

"Ta-da?" he said weakly. "Here I am. It's me. I am the surprise."

Kaede stared, clearly unimpressed. "Hello, Mister Barnaby. What were you doing in my closet?"

"Well… aren't you surprised?" Kotetsu grinned nervously.

Kaede clenched her hands into fists and began to turn red. "GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" she shrieked, pushing both of them into the hall and slamming her door.

Barnaby frowned. "It would seem I come over here too often. She's no longer happy to see me."

"Don't you dare say that," whined Kotetsu. "You don't come often enough. That's why… uh-oh." They looked at one another and braced themselves.

A loud wail came from inside the house. "My cutout Barnaby! DAD!" A notebook tore through the wall, and he could tell that in her anger she had activated the Hundred Power she copied off of them.

Kotetsu put his face against the door and groveled. "I'm sorry, Kaede, but you have the real Barnaby here! Isn't that so much better?" Barnaby waved awkwardly through the hole in the wall.

"Not when he's here to see YOU!" she yelled, sitting on her chair too hard and breaking it. "He's always here to see you! Whenever he comes, it's to see you! You have to replace it. _You have to!_"

Kotetsu and Barnaby stared at each other in bewilderment before Kotetsu opened the door carefully. Kaede flew into his arms in tears. "Oh, Kaede, Barnaby and I didn't mean to make you feel left out," he said, smoothing her hair.

"Of course not," Barnaby said, taking a knee and putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm always happy to see you."

"You are?" she sniffed, glowing blue eyes peeking out from behind her hair.

"_Always_," he insisted. "In fact, I think you're right. I don't spend enough time with you. That's going to change starting now." Kotetsu stepped back and Barnaby held out his arms.

"Really, Mister Barnaby?"

"You don't have to call me 'Mister,' Kaede."

And with that, she latched onto him tightly, and after a few moments, Barnaby opened one of his arms so Kotetsu could join the embrace. When they all pulled away, Kaede wiped her eyes on her sleeve and smiled brightly.

"Why don't we all go for a walk?" Barnaby suggested. Kaede and Kotetsu nodded enthusiastically.

Shyly, Kaede took Kotetsu's right hand and Barnaby's left as they set out. The men shared an incredulous look between themselves before beaming down at her. She smiled sweetly at both of them.

"…you still have to replace my cutout, you know."


	3. Mayonnaise

"K-Kotetsu, it's not going to fit!" Barnaby shouted. "Stop!"

"I can't! I can't stop. I'm so close…"

"KOTETSU! It's too big!"

"It just needs… a little more…" Kotetsu reached out and grabbed a bottle, squeezing out its contents relentlessly. A few drops flew onto Barnaby's face without him noticing.

"That's enough, Kotetsu, just finish, please!" Barnaby begged.

Kotetsu took the second piece of bread and slammed it on top of the towering sandwich. "There! It's done! The perfect sandwich!"

"Well, take it! We need to go; we're late for our interview!" Barnaby grabbed him by the hand and pulled him towards the door. They dashed out to the limo, where Kotetsu happily ate his sandwich. Before they reached the studio, Kotetsu finished and then looked at Barnaby, narrowing his eyes.

"Say, Bunny," he mumbled. "You have something on your face."

"What? But we're going to be filmed when we get out of the car!" Barnaby jumped, looking around for a mirror. He didn't notice that Kotetsu had switched seats and was sitting right next to him.

"I'll get it," he offered.

"What are yo—stop that!" Barnaby protested as Kotetsu buried his hands in his hair and licked his cheek. Kotetsu withdrew, but not before placing a chaste kiss on Barnaby's lips. The blond sighed and rubbed the saliva off his cheek with a sleeve. "What was it?"

Kotetsu licked his lips. "Mayonnaise. Mm, I'm hungry."

"You can't possibly still be hungry!"

The car stopped, and Kotetsu opened the door. Just before he stepped out, he grinned wolfishly back at Barnaby. "But I am. I'm hungry for a rabbit sandwich."


	4. Centaurs

When Kaede was fourteen, she took a class in painting at school and discovered she had quite a knack for it. The Kaburagi-Brooks home was quickly filled with her artwork, and by the time she was sixteen, she was submitting her original pieces to contests and placing quite high. Her favourite subjects to paint were the Heroes of Sternbild City and abstract representations of various NEXT powers, so the day she came home with a large canvas and the grand prize for a painting depicting her parents shouldn't have been such a surprise.

"Er, Kaede?" Barnaby asked. "What is that?"

She beamed. "It's you and Dad! _And_ it won first place!"

Kotetsu put his nose right up to the canvas and squinted. "But Kaede… I'm not a horse."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It's not a horse, Dad. Do you even know what centaurs are? Ugh, you don't know anything about art!" And she stormed off to her room, leaving the painting in the hall.

Barnaby and Kotetsu exchanged an amused look before Kotetsu had to bite down on his hand to keep from laughing. Barnaby opened his mouth to say something but seemed to change his mind and brought his hand up to cover his grin.

"You're—" Kotetsu started to say, but he was interrupted.

"Kotetsu, don't!"

"—you're…"

"Don't say it, I'm warning you!"

"You're _riding_ me, Bunny!" he gasped, doubling over in silent laughter, his eyes welling with tears.

Barnaby bit his tongue hard, turning red from holding back his own mirth. He ended up snorting loudly and dissolving into immature laughter, leaning on Kotetsu's shoulder to support himself. Kotetsu straightened himself and clapped a hand over Barnaby's mouth to silence him, freezing when he felt his tongue caressing his palm.

"Hey!" Kotetsu protested.

"I told you not to say it," Barnaby muttered into the hand before drawing slow circles with his tongue, taking his time to savour the taste of Kotetsu's flesh.

"_Fuck,_ Bunny," he hissed, tearing his hand away.

"My thoughts exactly," Barnaby whispered, leaning forward and sinking his teeth into Kotetsu's earlobe. "But where did we put the riding crop?"


	5. Lesbians

"You know what I like?" bellowed a very intoxicated Antonio.

"What's that?" said Kotetsu, his face affixed to the bar.

"_Lesbians."_ He slammed his fist on the counter with enough force to make everyone jump.

Kotetsu burst into drunken laughter.

"Lesbians… are the greatest," he agreed. "But I think we would have better chances with pretty women who would be interested in _us,_ you know?"

Antonio nodded. "You see anybody in here you like?" he slurred.

Kotetsu scanned the bar with one eye shut and the other squinted just so he could focus. He pointed his finger to a corner booth. "There. Blond hair. Glasses."

"Kotetsu…"

"Yeah?"

"You do know that's Barnaby, right?"

Kotestu smirked, "I know it. Hey, order me another… another. I'll be back. Maybe." He slid off his stool and stumbled over to the corner booth.


	6. Karina's Confession

Karina had been preparing for months. She read every love advice column and every relationship book and even men's magazines to formulate her plan. Tonight she knew that Kotetsu was training late at the gym, so she stayed, too, practising her dance moves in front of the mirror and in plain view of Kotetsu. She didn't look at him once, but she knew at the very least he had to be watching because the exercise equipment was facing her direction, and she heard the steady _screee-THUNK_ of the weights moving up and down.

Karina finished her routine and started packing her things, putting the towel Kotetsu had given to her around her neck and taking her time stretching her long legs. She still didn't dare sneak a glance at Kotetsu and just trusted that everything she read was true. It wasn't until the weight machine fell silent that she looked over in time to see Kotetsu open his eyes.

_He wasn't watching,_ she realised with horror. _The idiot was lifting weights with his eyes closed!_ But she had no time to revise her plans because he saw her and hurried over.

"Hey, Blue Rose, you usually don't stay this late! Rehearsing for your concert this weekend?" he smiled. "My daughter wanted to come see it, but it ends a little late. Maybe in a few years when she's older."

Karina's mind screamed at her to show interest in his life and say something about his daughter. "I would love for Kaede to come to a show!" she blurted out. Kotetsu seemed confused at her apparent excitement for his daughter to attend her concert but shrugged it off.

"I'll let her know," he said. "Well, anyway, I think it's about time for me to head out. I have plans tonight."

"P-plans? Like a, erm, a date?" Karina winced. She hadn't meant to say it that way.

He squinted at her. "Not quite. Why? Do you know someone who's interested in me?" he teased, heading towards the exit.

She felt her cheeks grow hot and wished somehow her NEXT abilities could control the blush that was spreading across her face. She grabbed her bag and caught up with him. "Actually, Kotetsu, I think there is someone… I noticed someone…" she said. Her heart was pounding so loudly she almost couldn't hear him ask who it was. She stared at her feet.

"I said, 'Who?'" Kotetsu repeated, pushing the door open with one hand and taking a step outside.

"It's… it's me, Kotetsu," she finally forced out the words. "I think I lo—" Karina looked up at Kotetsu's strangled yelp and saw two bodies in front of her, not one. She stumbled backwards into the door and covered her mouth with her hands.

"_Bunny,_" Kotetsu said, shoving his partner off of him. "What are you doing here?"

Barnaby looked over in the direction Kotetsu had turned. "Oh!" He cleared his throat. "Good evening, Miss Karina." He flashed her a charming smile and didn't say anything further when she ran to her motorbike and sped away.

"Bunny, why did you do that?" Kotetsu complained.

Barnaby turned back and stalked towards him with a glint in his eye. "So there would be no confusion whatsoever about who you belong to," he said in a low voice. Then he pounced.


	7. Heroes' Night Out

Everyone was surprised when Barnaby suggested a Heroes' Night Out. It was true that they had all been working extra hard the past few weeks and each seemed on the verge of burning out, but it still came as a shock that Barnaby was the one to propose an outing to relieve some stress. That night found them at a karaoke bar, where Nathan spent the better part of the night convincing Keith to sing a song with him. Ivan and the girls gossiped relentlessly in the corner, bursting into laughter every so often.

Barnaby sat at the end of the bar next to Kotetsu, who was bullied into a drinking contest with Antonio. Antonio had the advantage of size on his side, but Kotetsu was holding his own quite well until the ninth round, when he turned slightly green and looked like he was about to be sick. He tripped past tables and chairs and made his way to a stall in the men's room just in time. Footsteps approached as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

"Antonio was too busy gloating, so I thought I'd make sure you were all right," a soft voice said.

"Bunny?" Kotetsu coughed and looked behind him to confirm his suspicions, but he wasn't done. He returned his face to the toilet.

Barnaby winced as Kotetsu heaved again and again. "I can't believe you let yourself drink that much," he frowned, reaching forward and grabbing Kotetsu's hat before it slid into the toilet. "What made you think you could beat Antonio of all people in a drinking contest?"

"I never asked for a lecture!" Kotetsu moaned pathetically and stumbled to his feet, using Barnaby's shoulder to steady himself. "Give me my hat back so I can call it a night."

"Not a chance."

"What? Hey, come on, Bunny. We still need to work tomorrow. I need to sleep this o—er…" Kotetsu tried to get past Barnaby and discovered that he had closed and locked the stall door and was standing in front of the latch. "You need to move so we can get out."

Barnaby smirked. "I suggested this as a night out for stress relief. I hardly think vomiting in a public toilet counts, do you?"

"Ah, er, Bunny?" Kotetsu whimpered. Two hands grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, pushing his back against the door.

"For once in your life, Kotetsu, shut your damn mouth," hissed Barnaby, sinking to his knees.


	8. Merman

Barnaby walked into Kotetsu's flat and found him sitting in the middle of a pile of boxes and holding a comic book.

"What are you doing?"

"Hm."

"Kotetsu?"

"Over there."

"_Kotetsu._" Barnaby snorted, and the other man looked up. A smile spread across his face as though he hadn't seen Barnaby in years.

"Oh, Bunny! Come look at this—I found my old comics!" Kotetsu said excitedly, scooting slightly so there was space next to him. Barnaby heaved a sigh and sat, leaning against Kotetsu's shoulder to look at what he was reading.

"Who is that?"

"Superman."

"Is he a NEXT?"

"No, he's an alien."

"What can he do?"

"Everything! Laser vision, flight, super strength!" Kotetsu raved. Barnaby smiled in spite of himself. His partner's happiness was contagious.

"What about him?"

"That's The Flash."

"Is he an alien, too?"

"No, he's… he's essentially a NEXT, too. His power is super speed."

"Oh. What about this one?"

"This is Aquaman. He has control over the fish or something. Some kind of a merman. I don't remember much about him."

Barnaby looked thoughtful for a moment. "But he's not a merman. He has no tail."

"Oh, you're right! Then he must just be a NEXT with control over the oceans." Kotetsu reasoned. Barnaby bit his lower lip and furrowed his brow. "What's wrong, Bunny?"

"I think it would be terrible to be a merman."

Kotetsu blinked. "What? Why? You could breathe underwater, swim faster than anyone, hang out with all the beautiful mermaid babes!"

"Yes, but…"

"But what?"

"I would have a tail instead of the lower half of my body."

"And?"

Barnaby fixed his burning gaze on Kotetsu. "And that would make it extremely difficult for me to fuck you senseless and make us late in arriving to Oriental Town."

"_Oh."_


	9. Hungry

They returned to Barnaby's flat after dinner with one of the executives. Barnaby noticed that his partner didn't order much and only poked at his meal when it arrived. He watched Kotetsu collapse into the chaise-longue.

"Are you alright?" Barnaby's brow knitted with concern. He was answered with a moan. "It must have been that sandwich you ate before the interview. I'll get you some water."

"No!" Barnaby stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at the older man, who had thrown his arm over his forehead dramatically. "I need you to come here," Kotetsu groaned.

He walked over quickly. "What is it, Kotetsu? Are you ill?" Kotetsu whimpered. Barnaby said urgently, "Should I take you to the hospital?"

"Oof," Kotetsu rolled over on his side, curling up slightly with his back to Barnaby. "Can you bring me that bottle of mayonnaise?"

"Maybe it's gone bad," Barnaby nodded, and he sped to fetch it from the kitchen. "Here it is."

Without turning over, Kotetsu held up a hand and motioned for Barnaby to give him the bottle. "Let me see it." Barnaby stood by nervously, jumping forward when Kotetsu let out a whine.

"What? What's wrong? Kotetsu!" Barnaby put a hand on Kotetsu's arm, gently trying to peek over his side to see his face. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I need you… to come closer," he whispered. Barnaby was forced to reach over Kotetsu with one hand to support himself as he hovered over his partner, whose face was scrunched up in what he assumed was agony.

"Kotetsu, I think you should go to the hospital," he said quietly.

"B-Bunny, it's not that…" Kotetsu gasped.

"Then what? Tell me what's going on! _Kotetsu!_" Barnaby panicked. Suddenly, Kotetsu rolled onto his back again, knocking Barnaby's hand off the chair and causing him to collapse on him. Before he could react, Barnaby felt him manoeuvre both of them so that he was straddling Kotetsu. Barnaby tried to sit up but two hands grabbed his collar and pulled him down into a desperate kiss. His own hands went wild digging into that dark hair, pulling, scratching.

"Oh, _fuck,_" Kotetsu panted as their lips parted.

"You bastard," Barnaby accused, tugging at his hair roughly. "I thought something was wrong with you. I was worried all evening."

Kotetsu brought both hands to Barnaby's hips, sneaking his fingers under his belt and pressing his fingernails into the soft flesh. "I told you what I needed when we were in the limo," he hissed. "A rabbit sandwich. It was all I could think about. And now I've caught you in my snare, _Bunny_."

"Kotetsu-" Barnaby felt his heart racing so fast he thought it might fail.

His response was more a predatory growl than actual words. "_I'm hungry_."


	10. Cats and Dogs

If ever the phrase "raining cats and dogs" could be used in all seriousness, that night was the night. A torrential downpour had all but completely halted Hero TV because roads were flooded and doors were blocked and there really wasn't any way to get somewhere in order to actually commit a crime in the first place. Agnes slammed her fists on the consol as she stared into the screens. "Nothing but static!" she yelled. "Just... play a highlight clip from last week."

"We can't, Ma'am," one of the technicians said, cowering slightly. "It appears all our signals are down."

"What?" she shrieked. She tried to call any of her Heroes to no avail. All the dishes and communications lines must have been destroyed or washed away. She sank into her chair and put her head in her hands. "Then we wait," she decided.

Barnaby and Kotetsu had been hot on the tail of a jewelry store robber when they noticed that they heard nothing from Agnes or the other Heroes coming from their communicators. They caught the man and dumped him off at the nearest police station, and there they sat in the lobby, dripping, waiting for the rain to stop.

"It's bad out there," Kotetsu moaned, "I think I got water inside my battle suit. I feel like I just went swimming in a whirlpool!"

"We need to get changed before we get sick," Barnaby acknowledged. He beckoned over a rookie officer and asked if there was a room where he and Wild Tiger could change into their civilian clothes. Somehow they were still in contact with Saito, who managed to drop a package on the roof of the building with their clothes.

"He couldn't have just picked us up and let us change in his trailer?" Kotetsu wondered. He certainly was a strange little man.

The two were followed by the cameraman until they reached the door of an empty interrogation room. "You're not coming in with us as we change," Barnaby stated. "Plus, you can't broadcast anything anyway. Just take a break."

The officer let them inside the room and closed the door, returning a few moments later with dry towels. The two Heroes stripped out of their suits and underarmour (Kotetsu left his mask on just in case), wrapping themselves in towels. Barnaby shook his head comically, and Kotetsu burst out laughing.

"You look like a wet dog shaking the water from its fur!" he guffawed, ignoring the glare he received in return. "Oh, stop worrying about your hair, Bunny." He secured the towel around his waist and walked over, burying his hands in Barnaby's hair with a smirk that could only mean one thing.

"Kotetsu, no," Barnaby said, backing up. "This is an interrogation room. That means THAT mirror is actually see-through from the other side. Somebody could be watching. The cameraman could be watching."

Kotetsu pulled his hands away for a moment, thinking. Then he approached the mirror and punched it, listening intently for any noise on the other side. Then he licked the mirror. He was pretty certain they'd stop his obscene behaviour if there really was anybody in there. "I think we're safe," he said, stalking towards Barnaby, who backed up into the door, holding his trousers in his hands and looking as though he might try to put them on.

"Ohhhh no," Kotetsu growled. He snatched the clothing from Barnaby and tossed it on the other side of the room. Barnaby gave one last little hop backwards, bumping into the door.

"Not here," he whispered as Kotetsu pressed against him. "Just make sure nobody sees," he finally breathed, baring his teeth to bite at Kotetsu's scarred throat.

Kotetsu made a pleasurable sound and smirked, taking Barnaby's face in his hands and crushing their mouths together. They were so distracted by the heated kiss alone that they didn't hear the cameraman knocking on the door, calling out that they had regained the signal and could continue broadcasting live. Suddenly, the door burst open and the two were shoved to the floor, the cameraman swiveled to capture the footage.

Kotetsu had landed under Barnaby, so he was the first to see the camera lens. "Fuck!" he cried, scrambling to his feet.

"Ko-" Barnaby stopped himself when he saw the camera, too. "Tiger! What?"

Back in the studio, Agnes had dropped her coffee all over the control panel. The signals from all her crew were fading in and out, but the last thing she saw from Camera Number Four was a fist engulfed in bright blue light flying at the screen, then nothing but static. Her expression of shock twisted into a devious smile.

"_Hello, ratings_," she wheezed.


	11. The White Castle

"Please, Daddy! I'll clean my room, I'll finish all my schoolwork for the entire week ahead of time! I… I'll pack a lunch for all of us!" Kaede begged. "Daddy, they built a new tower where the princess is supposed to live, and they said she even serves tea at the top of the white castle!"

"Kaede," Kotetsu sighed, bringing his head down to his hands. His daughter wanted to go to a theme park just outside of Sternbild City, and she'd been bothering him relentlessly for weeks. He just didn't have the energy lately—his mother had even commented on how long he would stay in bed every day. "Ask Barnaby," he finally said without looking up. "I'm going back to bed."

Kaede stood back, confused, as her father slowly stood up and ambled to his room, falling face-first on the bed without bothering to shut the door. She turned to go find Barnaby—probably out in the garden helping her grandmother—and heard the clinking of a bottle of alcohol against a tumbler. Kaede clapped her hands over her ears and ran to the garden.

Barnaby looked up. "Kaede, what's wrong?" he said, seeing her distressed face.

"It's Dad! He…"

Barnaby finished tamping the soil around a newly planted sprout and rose to his feet seriously. "Help your grandmother finish planting this row, sweetheart," he instructed, leaning down to kiss her cheek as he swooped into the house, making his way to the bedroom. He snatched the bottle out of Kotetsu's hand, noting the broken glass on the floor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted. Kotetsu ducked his head and stared at the floor. "You can't keep this up, Kotetsu," Barnaby continued in a softer voice. "You're killing yourself. Can you even see what you're doing to Kaede? And to me?" He dropped to his knees and tried to lift his partner's chin so he could look him in the eyes, but Kotetsu pulled away.

"Just leave me alone," he muttered. "Take the rum if you must, but go away."

Barnaby got up, closed the door, and returned to sit on the bed, staring at the wall instead of at Kotetsu. "I'm not leaving until we figure something out," he said. Kotetsu groaned and leaned on his side until his face was buried in a pillow. Barnaby laid down beside him, wrapping an arm around Kotetsu's chest and pressing his forehead against's Kotetsu's back, listening to him breathe and feeling his heartbeat.

"Get off," Kotetsu whispered despondently. "You're wasting your time." He sniffed loudly; Barnaby guessed he was crying.

"Kotetsu, please. You haven't been yourself in ages. Tell me what's wrong," Barnaby pleaded. "Even if I can't help, I'll find someone who can."

"Nobody can help me." He felt Kotetsu shift slightly, reaching for something, and then a hard object landed on Barnaby's head. He pulled away from Kotetsu just enough so that he could pick it up: it was a framed photograph of Tomoe. Of course. The anniversary of Tomoe's death was quickly approaching. Barnaby knew it was only two days away and had suspected that Kotetsu's rapidly declining mood had been related to the date. He had always been sad every year around this time, but now it was the first time since Tomoe's death that he had been remarried.

"Kotetsu, please talk to me." Kotetsu rolled onto his stomach, letting out a muffled sob into the pillow. "Do you really want me to leave?" Barnaby said, and his voice was very small. They had worked through Kotetsu's concern over betraying his wife, but it hadn't been easy. Apparently, being married had reopened the wound to a profound degree.

Kotetsu lifted his face just enough peek over the pillow. "Bunny," he whimpered.

Barnaby's heart twisted painfully, and he placed a hand on Kotetsu's face, stroking his cheek with his thumb. "I'm here, Kotetsu. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried," he joked weakly. Kotetsu braved the tiniest of smiles as tears streamed from his eyes and over Barnaby's fingers.

"Come here," Barnaby crooned, pulling Kotetsu up and cradling him to his chest. "It will be okay," he promised. "We've been here before. We know everything works out in the end." He let Kotetsu clutch him around the waist and cry, repeating his promise over and over that he would never leave.

After about half an hour, Kotetsu had calmed down enough to be able to talk. "I'll call Dr. Tam first thing in the morning," Barnaby said. Dr. Tam was the psychiatrist they had been to see before, and given Kotetsu's general inability to share personal details of his life, they had to choose someone who was already familiar with him.

"Okay," Kotetsu agreed sullenly. "I really thought this was over." He took a deep breath and leaned his head on Barnaby's shoulder, who pushed Kotetsu's hair out of his eyes.

"It will be. Soon." Barnaby promised yet again. "And then we can take Kaede to that amusement park to celebrate," he added, trying to create some sort of incentive to give Kotetsu hope. There was a long silence.

"I can't wait."


	12. Flowers and Thorns

Antonio took a deep breath and let it out as a satisfying sigh. He had just finished his workout for the day and was the last one to leave the training room, toweling off his head. He was looking forward to a nice, relaxing evening at home.

Then his mobile phone rang. "Yes?" he grinned into it.

"Bonjour, Hero," came the voice on the other end. Antonio coughed nervously, and a tiny laugh greeted his ears. "No need to be so shy, Rock Bison," Agnes cooed. "But I do have a bit of an emergency, and I'm afraid I'm in need of a Hero."

He flicked off the lights and stood in the doorway. "I'm always at your service, Miss Joubert," he responded. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"Oh, it's this new flat... it doesn't seem safe at all. I think I need a real Hero to scope it out," Agnes whispered.

"I... of course, Miss Joubert," Antonio choked.

"Think of it almost like being a... bodyguard," the soft voice teased, and Antonio was already rushing down the sidewalk towards her complex.

Not wanting her to hang up, he tried to ask casually, "Tell me, Miss Joubert. What areas do you fear are the most u-unsafe?" He stopped at a magazine stand and motioned for the attendant to sell him a half-decent bouquet of roses. He handed the man a handful of dollars that was probably more than enough.

"Oh, well, you know, the most usual places," Agnes was saying. "The balcony. The kitchen. The shower. The bed."

"A-ah," gasped Antonio, having grabbed the flowers and accidentally stuck his thumb into a thorn. "Agnes, I-"

"Oh, do hurry, _my Hero_," she purred. "I'll feel so much safer when you arrive."

"I'm on my way," Antonio gulped, taking off at a run.

* * *

><p><strong>Brief author's note:<strong> I realise this has nothing to do with Barnaby and Kotetsu's relationship, but I was given "Flowers and Thorns" as a prompt, and the only thing I could think of was the following post on one of my favourite tumblrs:

.com/post/15793694428/ooc-antonio-doesnt-appear-in-this-strip-because


	13. Texting and Scones

Kotetsu was getting annoyed. His mobile kept beeping with new text alerts, all from Barnaby, all pointless. He was spending the day out in the garden with his mother, since Barnaby was back in Sternbild City for a surprise event.

_I miss you._

_Kotetsu, Antonio was asking me what I've been doing with my spare time. What do I say?_

_If you don't respond, I'll tell him you've been keeping me very busy._

_Kotetsu?_

_I'll tell him **you've been keeping me very busy.**_

_With your dick._

_I'll say it._

_..._

_You should probably call Antonio when you get a chance, Kotetsu._

_I'm not sorry._

__They have that shitty beer you like here.__

_How are the cabbages doing?_

_Tell your mother I've picked up that fertilizer she's been wanting._

_Kotetsu?_

He was beyond fed up at this point and yanked his phone from his pocket, scrolling through the messages. "Fuck," he swore. "Bunny!" He used speed dial and waited impatiently.

"Hello?"

"Bunny, what the fuck?" he shouted, half hoping the volume hurt Barnaby's ear. "What? What is it? Why are you texting me? I saw you this morning, what is wrong with you?"

He was met with silence, then an almost inaudible whimper. "I just missed you."

Kotetsu groaned into the phone. "Bunny, you're coming home in the morning, why don't we..." he sighed, trying to think of something he could do to stop this nonsense. "We'll go for breakfast together as soon as you get here, okay?"

Barnaby sniffed. "Do you promise? Can we have scones?"

"Fine," Kotetsu grumped. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Kotetsu?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Bunny."


	14. Valentine's Day

Kotetsu idly drummed his fingers on the armrest of the couch. It hadn't escaped his notice that it was Valentine's Day. On the other end of the couch, Barnaby leaned his chin into his hand. The television was flickering quietly with the news of some pink-and-red villain's heists being interrupted by the other Heroes. Kotetsu cleared his throat.

"Hmm?" Barnaby jumped.

"What?" Kotetsu stared at him. "I didn't say anything."

Barnaby settled back uneasily. "Oh, well…"

"Geez, Bunny, is something wrong? You're acting so strange today," Kotetsu murmured, mentally going through the past twenty four hours trying to think of something he might have done to upset the younger man, whose face was turning red at an alarming rate.

"Did you know it's Valentine's Day?" Barnaby stammered before catching himself. "I mean, of course you knew, we were just watching that guy who calls himself The Heartthrob rob jewelry stores like he did last year. I-I don't know why I'm telling you this since you also—"

"Bunny," Kotetsu interrupted.

"Yes?" He panicked.

"Stop it. You're starting to sound like me whenever I try to make a speech. You're supposed to be the well-spoken one." He stood and stretched with a yawn. "Now, what's got you so worked up?"

Barnaby gulped, leaned over the armrest nearest him, and groped around on the floor. "Kotetsu, ah… I got you something. For today. I mean, it's for as long as you want to keep it, but I got it for you in honour of today." He found what he was searching for and sat back up to gauge Kotetsu's reaction.

But Kotetsu wasn't there. He had walked away and around the corner to the hall closet. "Say, Bunny, that's really nice. I got something for you, too."

"You did?"

Kotetsu peeked his head around the corner and grinned, sauntering out into the living room with something held behind his back. "Well, sure. It is Valentine's Day, after all." He winked, and Barnaby felt himself sink further into his embarrassment. "Oh, don't be like that," the older man chided, strolling over and pecking him on the lips. "Here, close your eyes."

"You too!" Barnaby frowned.

"It will be hard for us to exchange gifts if we both have our eyes closed," remarked Kotetsu, but upon seeing Barnaby's brow furrow determinedly, he plunked himself on the couch next to him and closed his eyes dutifully. "Alright, are you happy now?"

"Yes. Here, hold out your hand—"

"Which one?"

"Wait, what?"

After a brief moment of confusion, they each opened their eyes and looked at what they were holding: Kotetsu had in his hands a plush rabbit with a soft, satin heart sewn on its chest; Barnaby also held a similarly-made toy, but his was a tiger with remarkably gentle-looking eyes. A wide smile spread across Kotetsu's face before he burst out into laughter, causing Barnaby to look at him in alarm. "You don't like it?"

"Bunny, it's _adorable!_" Kotetsu reassured him. "I just can't imagine how we both managed to get each other a matching set of stuffed animals."

Barnaby examined his tiger carefully. "I haven't had something so nice since I was small," he said after a moment. "Thank you, Kotetsu." He finally dragged his gaze from the toy only to see Kotetsu looking at him intensely. "Kotetsu," he warned, backing away from him as much as he could—which wasn't much, given that he was already leaning against the armrest, "this really isn't the time. Kaede will be home from school soon."

A flash of wicked teeth was the only response before Kotetsu pounced, landing a volley of kisses and nips from Barnaby's mouth down to his collarbone. The plush animals slid from the couch cushions to the ground as Barnaby protested weakly and without meaning. Kotetsu finally pulled away for a fraction of a second, his eyes blazing, licking his lips and snarling, "Happy Valentine's Day, Bunny."

Barnaby knotted his fingers in that dark hair as best he could and pulled him back down, scarcely having the chance to breathe his reply before their mouths crashed together once more. "Happy Valentine's Day, Old Man."


End file.
